Display system

Abstract

A display system ( 20, 100, 300, 320 ) is provided for presenting images to a viewer ( 50 ) together with complementary peripheral surround-lighting ( 130 ). The system ( 20, 100, 300, 320 ) includes a monitor ( 20 ) for presenting the images to the viewer ( 50 ), and lights ( 100 ) for generating the surround-lighting ( 130 ) appearing in operation to the viewer ( 50 ) as at least partially peripherally surrounding the monitor ( 20 ). Moreover, the system ( 20, 100, 300, 320 ) further includes a controller ( 320 ) for energizing the lights ( 100 ) in response to properties of portions of the images presented on the monitor ( 20 ), and a sensor ( 300, 310 ) for sensing the surround-lighting ( 130 ) and/or environmental illumination and generating corresponding sensor signals ( 330 ). The controller ( 320 ) is arranged in operation to receive the sensor signals ( 330 ) for controlling the lights ( 100 ) for at least partially compensating the surround-lighting ( 130 ) to influence from the environmental illumination.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A display system for presenting images to a viewer together with complementary peripheral surround-lighting, said system including:
 (a) a monitor for presenting the images to the viewer; 
 (b) one or more lights for generating specific corresponding parts of a backward-illumination portion of said surround-lighting appearing in operation to the viewer as at least partially peripherally surrounding the monitor; 
 (c) a controller for energizing said one or more lights in response to properties of one or more spatially distributed peripheral portions (S 1  to S 8 ) of the images presented on the monitor; and 
 (d) one or more sensors for (d)(1) sensing specific spatially distributed portions of (i) backward-illumination of said surround-lighting and (ii) environmental illumination of said surround-lighting incident at the display system and (d)(2) generating one or more corresponding sensor signals, wherein the one or more sensors are associated with specific corresponding lights of said one or more lights, and wherein said controller is also arranged in operation to receive said one or more sensor signals for controlling corresponding specific lights of said one or more lights for at least partially compensating color (h h1  to h h8 ) and/or brightness (b h1  to b h8 ) of specific spatially distributed portions of the surround-lighting to influence from corresponding specific spatially distributed portions of the environmental illumination. 
 
     
     
       2. The display system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the one or more sensors operable in conjunction with the controller are arranged to function substantially in a feed-forward control manner to control said peripheral surround-lighting in response to the sensed environmental illumination. 
     
     
       3. The display system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the controller further controls the one or more lights in response to one or more user adjustable control parameters. 
     
     
       4. The display system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein one or more lights are disposed so as to generate the specific spatially distributed backward-illumination portions of said surround-lighting by way of reflection of illumination provided in operation from said one or more lights from a surface in operation behind the monitor relative to the viewer. 
     
     
       5. The display system as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein said one or more sensors are positioned substantially at said surface wherefrom illumination from said one or more lights is reflected to generate the specific spatially distributed backward-illumination portions of said surround-lighting. 
     
     
       6. The display system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the controller is operable to at least partially compensate the specific spatially distributed portions of said surround-lighting from influence of the environmental illumination encountered in a location where the display system is deployed. 
     
     
       7. The display system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said one or more sensors are positioned so as to sense in operation the specific spatially distributed portions of said surround-lighting from substantially behind the monitor relative to the viewer. 
     
     
       8. The display system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said one or more sensors are positioned so as to sense in operation the specific spatially distributed portions of said surround-lighting in front of said monitor substantially intermediate between the monitor and the viewer. 
     
     
       9. The display system as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein said controller is further arranged to provide feedback color and/or brightness adjustment of both (i) the images presented in operation on said monitor and (ii) the spatially distributed portions of said surround-lighting. 
     
     
       10. The display system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said one or more sensors are implemented by one or more pixel array cameras operable to spatially sense the specific spatially distributed portions of said surround-lighting. 
     
     
       11. The display system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said controller is operable to substantially match specific spatially distributed halo regions of said surround-lighting (H 1  to H 8 ) to one or more colors at the corresponding one or more spatially distributed peripheral portions (S 1  to S 8 ) of the images presented on said monitor. 
     
     
       12. A surround-lighting device for a monitor operable to present images to a viewer, said device being operable to provide peripheral surround-lighting complementary to said images, said device comprising:
 (a) one or more lights for generating specific corresponding parts of a backward-illumination portion of said surround-lighting appearing in operation to the viewer as at least partially peripherally surrounding the monitor; 
 (b) a controller for energizing said one or more lights in response to properties of one or more spatially distributed peripheral portions (S 1  to S 8 ) of the images presented on the monitor; and 
 (c) one or more sensors for (d)(1) sensing spatially specific distributed portions of (i) backward-illumination of said surround-lighting and (ii) environmental illumination of said surround-lighting and (d)(2) generating one or more corresponding sensor signals, wherein the one or more sensors are associated with specific corresponding lights of said one or more lights, and wherein said controller is also arranged in operation to receive said one or more sensor signals for controlling corresponding specific lights of said one or more lights for at least partially compensating color and/or brightness of specific spatially distributed portions of the surround-lighting to influence from corresponding specific spatially distributed portions of the environmental illumination. 
 
     
     
       13. A method of controlling peripheral surround-lighting for a monitor operable to present images to a viewer, said method including steps of:
 (a) using one or more sensors for (a)(1) sensing specific spatially distributed portions of (i) backward-illumination of said surround-lighting (ii) environmental illumination of said surround-lighting and (a)(2) generating one or more corresponding sensor signals, wherein the one or more sensors are associated with specific corresponding lights of one or more lights; and 
 (b) controlling energization of one or more lights for generating a backward-illumination portion of said surround-lighting in response to (i) properties of one or more spatially distributed peripheral portions (S 1  to S 8 ) of the images presented on the monitor, and (ii) said one or more sensor signals so that said peripheral spatially distributed portions of surround-lighting is complementary to said images, wherein the specific spatially distributed portions of surround-lighting are at least partially compensated for influences from corresponding specific spatially distributed portions of environmental illumination substantially at the monitor. 
 
     
     
       14. A method as claimed in  claim 13 , further comprising a step of selectively stimulating the monitor and the one or more lights for determining which of said sensor signals is representative of a corresponding spatially distributed peripheral halo portion of the surround-lighting and then controlling said one or more lights in accordance with said determined sensor signals representative of the corresponding spatially distributed peripheral halo portion of the surround-lighting. 
     
     
       15. A computer-readable medium embodied with computer program code that includes instructions executable by a processor for implementing a method as claimed in  claim 13 . 
     
     
       16. A sensor configuration for implementing said one or more sensors of the display system as claimed in  claim 1 .